U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) informs that on April 1st, 2015, the agency will begin accepting H-1B petitions subject to the fiscal year (FY) 2016 cap. The congressionally mandated cap on H-1B visas for FY 2016 is 65,000. There is additional 20,000 H-1B visas available for individuals with a U.S. master’s degree or higher.

Because of high demand for visas for foreign workers, The Law Office of Natalia Malyshkina recommends to file your petition on April 1st,. USCIS stated that it would receive petitions during the first 5 days of April. However, due to high demand for petitions, the cap may be reached sooner.

Cases will be considered accepted on the date USCIS takes possession of a properly filed petition with the correct fee. If USCIS receives to many petitions, the agency will use a lottery system to randomly select the number of petitions required to meet the cap. USCIS will reject all unselected petitions that are subject to the cap as well as any petitions received after the cap has closed.

For more information on the H-1B nonimmigrant visa program and current Form I-129 processing times, visit the H-1B FY 2016 Cap Season Web page or call the National Customer Service Center at 800-375-5283 or 800-767-1833 (TDD for the hearing impaired), or visit uscis.gov.

The Law Office of Natalia Malyshkina encourages H-1B applicants to subscribe to the H-1B Cap Season email updates located on the H-1B 2016 Cap Season Web page.

If you have any questions regarding applying for H-1B visa, preparing your documents or want The Law Office of Natalia Malyshkina to take care of your paperwork for H-1B, please contact us today at +1 (415) 240-0083. You can also request an appointment with the attorney by calling us at the number listed above, or through our website www.immigration-business-law.com.